Lamp-voltage regulator



W. A. TURBAYNE.

LAMP VOLTAGE REGULATOR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 23; 191 7.

1,393,855. Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

I l l l l l l ili l hl :{llllll v gwuaMoz William A. Turba ne. WWW

YORK.

Application filed April 23,

To all whom it may concern: I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. TIURBAYNE, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO U. S. LIGHT & HEAT CORPORATION, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW LAMP-VOLTAGE REGULATOR.

Be it known that I WILLIAM A. TUR- BAYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and tate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lamp- Voltage Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to lamp voltage regulators.

More particularly the invention relates to 5 improved regulating means adapted to-be inserted between the storage battery and translating devices in a system having a variable voltage source, as for instance, a carlighting system. A great deal of difliculty has been experienced with the lamp voltage regulators in use in car-lighting systems, for

the reason that they are called upon'to take.

care of wide variations inthe supply voltage and wide variations inthe lamp load. For example, taking figures from common actual practice a voltage of 30volts is frequently required to be maintained constant across the lamps. The minimum voltage across the terminals of the storage battery may be taken as 32. Taking a 50 ampere lamp load,.

the resistance of the lamp regulator must be reduced to .04 ohm. When, however, the battery is on charge, its voltage is often 42 volts, or higher. Taking 42 volts as a fair figure, there must be a drop of 42 minus 30 or 12 volts across the lamp regulator. If this high voltage drop occurs at night, when only a few lamps are lighted, involving, say

a 3 ampere load, theresistance of the regulator must be 4 ohms to preserve the 30 volts required across the lamps. Itwill thus be seen that under working conditions commonly encountered, the lamp regulator is called upon'to operate over a range from 4 ohms to .04 ohm, which is a range from 100 to 1. The present invention relates to means whereby this or greater ranges of resistance may be covered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a lamp voltage regulator having a maximum range and involving only simple mechanism.

A further object is to provide a lamp regulator which will have two stages of operation to' cover the wide range provided for, together with compensating means whereby the lamp voltage will be maintained Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 18,1921.

1917. Serial No. 163,836.

age source, as for instance, a generator dr1ven from a car axle. Across the conductors l and 2 are connected a storage battery' 3 and lamps 4, 4. In the conductor 1 between I the storage battery 3 and the lamps 4, 4, is a compresslble pile 5. This pile 5 is adapted tohave its resistancevaried by means of a lever 6, pivoted atthepoint 6'. The lever 6 is adapted to becontrolled by the bell crank lever 7 which inturnis controlled by the coil 8 which is connected across the circuit of the lamps 4, 4, through the adjustable resistance 9. A dashpot .10 may be provided, if desired, for damping the action of the bell crank lever '7.

Connected in parallel across carbon pile 5 is an auxiliary carbon pile 11 whose resistance is adapted to be varied by the bell crank lever 12. The spring 13, which should preferably be adjustable, normally biases the bell crank lever 12, whereby the resistance of the carbon pile 11 is a minimum. The bell crank lever 12 is provided with a contact 14 which is adaptedto coact with a contact 15 mounted upon the bell crank lever 7. Both contacts 14 and 15 are preferably insulated from their supportin members. The contact 15, which is re erably adjustable, is connected through t e conductor 16' to the conducter 2, while the contact 1.4 is connected through the conductor 17 to the adjustable resistance 9. The contact 15, when it comes in contact with the conductor 14,'is adapted to complete a short circuit around a part of the adjustable resistance 9, and is also adapted to act as an abutment for moving the bell crank lever 12.

A mode of operation of the above described embodimentof the present invention is substantiallyas follows. -When a low voltage is maintamed across the supply conductors 1- and 2, thebell crank lever 7 will be in a position to operate the lever 6 to compress, the carbon pile 5, thereby reducing its resistance to a minimum. At this time the contact 15'will be out of engagement with the contact 14, whereby the spring 13 will operate to'compress the auxiliary carbon pile 11 whereby its resistance will also be a minimum. If the voltage should rise across the supply conductors 1 and 2, or should the lamp load be materially reduced, whereby there will be a tendency for the voltage across the lamps to increase, the solenoid 8 will control the bell crank lever 7 whereby to vary the resistance of the carbon pile 5 to maintain the voltage across the lamps 4 at the desired value. In addition to this operation, the contact 15 may engage the contact 14 to operate the bell crank lever 12 to vary the resistance of the carbon pile 11. If preferred, the dimensions of the levers may be so ,chosen that any given movement of the bell crank lever 7 will'have a much greatereffect upon the carbon pile 11 than upon the carbon pile 5, whereby a relatively small movement of the bell crank lever 7 will very greatly increase the resistance of said carbon pile 11, whereby the shunting effect of'thecarbon pile 11 will be reduced to a considerable extent. Inasmuch as, at this stage of operation, the bell crank lever 7 has the added duty of operating the bell crank lever 12, the

present invention contemplates the removal of a certain amount of resistance from the circuit of the operating solenoid 8. For this purpose the contacts 15 and 14, when they come into engagement, short. circuit part of the adjustable resistance 9, which will be so chosen as to substantially compensate for the added duty placed upon the solenoid 8.

When energy to be dissipated is small, as for instance, when the battery is supplying'the lamps, it is important to reduce the drop across the regulating elements to a minimum in order to maintain the voltage on the lamps. This is accomplished by the parallel connection of the larger carbon pile 5 and the smaller carbon pile 11 andthe lever arrangements whereby under such con ditions the shunting capacity of the smaller pile is a maximum,-due to its resistance be- "ing a minimum. On the other hand, when the energy to be dissipated is great, it is im port'ant to reduce the heating'efiect in the piles to a; minimum so as to avoid disintegration of thecarbons and other difiiculties. This is accomplished by the lever arrangements which, under such conditions, increase the resistance of the smaller pile 11, thus causing it to assist the main carbon pile 5 in the regulation and in the dissipation of energy. 7

One embodiment of the present invention has been described in detall. Many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art.

It is intended in this patent to cover all such said main pile, operating means for said auxiliary pile, said second mentioned operating means being operable by said first mentioned operating means during a portion only of the travel ofsaid-first mentioned operating means, controlling means for said first mentioned operating means, and means for compensating for increased mechanical load when said second mentioned operating means is being operated by said first mentioned operating means.

2. In combination, a -main compressible pile, means for operating same, an auxiliary compressible pile, means for operating said auxiliary pile, said piles being connected in parallel and being normally in a compressed state, and a single controlling means for directly and positively moving said operating means to relieve compression of said main pile, and at the same time, but at a faster rate, to relieve compression of said auxiliary pile, said controlling meansbeing provided with means'for compensating for chlanges in the mechanical resistance of said p 3. In combination, a circuit to be regulated, a regulator in said circuit comprising two compressible piles in parallel, operating mechanism for each of said piles, one of which mechanisms is operated by the other during certain stages only of the operation of said -other, electromagneticcontrolling means for said mechanisms, and means for varying the standard of said electromagnetic means when one of said mechanisms is being operated by said other mechamsm.

4. In combination, a circuit to be regulated, a regulator for said circuit, said reg ulator comprising two compressible piles in parallel, operating means for one of said piles, operating means for the other of said piles, said first operating means being adapted to actuate said second operating means during certain stages only, a solenoid con-v nected across said circuit through a resistance and being adapted to control said first operatingmeans, and means for short-circuiting part of said resistance during said stages.

5. In a regulator, in combination, a regulating medium, means for shunting current away from said medium when the energy to be dissipated is relatively great, operat-' ing means for reducing said shunting efiect; electromagnetic controlling means for said regulating medium and said shunting means,

the standard of which is changed when said means for compensating for the increased shunting means is' operated by its operatmechanical load on said operating means 10 ing means. during said part of said range of move 6. In combination, a compressible pile, ment. operating means therefor, means operated In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subby said operating means during a part only scribed my name. of the range of movement thereof for providing'a varying shunt across said pile, and WILLIAM A. TURBAYNE. 

